Olean

Town in Cattaraugus County, western New York State, USA, on the Allegheny River, at the mouth of Olean Creek, 100 km/60 mi southeast of Buffalo; population (2000) 15,300. Situated near the border of Pennsylvania, close to Pennsylvanian oilfields, it developed an oil-based economy. The engineering industry has now become dominant, and production includes compressors, turbines, and electric components. In June 1972 floodwaters destroyed over 3,000 homes.

Olean was settled as a lumber camp in 1804, and named for the first European child to born at the site. It served as a point of departure for settlers travelling to the Ohio Valley.